Dan's Knee
The Incident Because of Dan's stoic reticence to discuss the circumstances of his harrowing knee injury, only the broad outlines are known: Somehow, the devastating trauma was inflicted upon Dan's left knee during a Vermont ski trip. Was this an ordinary accident, or could it have been something more sinister? Or maybe Dan deliberately sacrificed himself in order to protect an innocent child by maneuvering his own body between the youngster and some imminent danger? It also could have been an elderly nun, or a blind person. Without definitive facts, speculation naturally abounds. What we do know is that the injury was severe enough to necessitate surgical intervention. In nothing less than a modern medical miracle, he received an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) harvested posthumously from an anonymous donor. Mere decades ago, such tissue transplants were the mere fever dreams of syphilitic madmen. It is not yet known whether Dan has become clairvoyant or even perhaps even homicidal due to the spirit of the harvested tissue's former host asserting itself over Dan's personality, however it is not totally unreasonable to assume that he has. Accordingly, those closest to Dan should maintain vigilance for any signs that he is fighting to maintain motor control over his own body. For instance, does Dan's mouth ever attempt to pronounce two totally different words simultaneously? Should such a thing ever happen, this could be the first indication of an existential struggle for Dan's very soul. Convalescence A great many knee injury victims, facing a future of relentless physical pain and crushing social stigma, choose to live out the remainder of their wretched days hiding in the shadows. But not Dan. Unwilling to suffer the woeful fate of so many in his dire situation, Dan marshalled the vast force of will necessary to keep his excruciating physical therapy appointments, maintain a grueling home exercise regime, and endure the debilitating side effects of his various prescription medications. Even if one somehow manages to reach the other end of this gauntlet, it is a well-established fact in the medical literature that this type of injury takes a full year to heal. In spite of this, Dan determinedly returned to work and kept his public appearance schedule. In doing so he not only made public his own personal struggle, but he also gave voice to the teeming millions who suffer through life bearing the scars of their own brutal destinies. Approximately 100,000 Americans each year undergo total knee reconstruction. Thanks to Dan's one-man campaign to spark a national conversation, there is now a face for this silent healthcare crisis. Finally these victims have a champion. Mentions Dan's knee injury has been mentioned in the following episodes. * Episode One Hundred and Thirty-Eight: Foodfight! (@57:30) * Episode One Hundred and Forty-One: Last Ounce of Courage (@59:15) Knee Injuries in Cinema Dan's story, coupled with his prominence in the entertainment industry, opened a lot of eyes to Hollywood's irresponsible handling of America's knee injury epidemic. On the big screen, they are often portrayed in a callous -- sometimes even comical -- fashion, totally contrary to the grim reality faced by actual victims. If you are a person for whom depictions of knee violence is a PTSD trigger, it may be wise to avoid these films altogether (spoiler alert): *''2 Guns'' (2013) Earl shoots a veterinarian in the knee. *[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1486193/ 5 Days of War] (2011) An old lady is shot in the knee. *''Alice, Sweet Alice'' (1976) Annie is stabbed in the knee. *''The Book of Eli'' (2010) *''Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee'' (TV) (2007) Thematic resonance abounds. *''Child's Play'' (1988) Chucky is shot in the left knee, but this does not impede him since he is a magical doll. *''Creature'' (2011) Niles is shot in the knee. *''Curse of Chucky'' (2013) Chucky lodges a hatchet in Nica's knee. *''The Departed'' (2006) Billy Costigan shoots a guy in the knee. *''The Descent'' (2005) Sarah stabs Juno in the knee with a pickaxe. *''Desperado'' (1995) During a gang initiation, the applicant's kneecap is crushed. *''Django Unchained'' (2012) Django shoots Stephen the Australian in both knees, who subsequently explodes. *''Dream a Little Dream 2 (1994) Corey Haim's character shoots someone in the knee. *''Drive Angry (2011) (Episode 82) Nicolas Cage's character shoots a guy in the knee, and then somebody repeatedly jabs a knife into that dude's kneehole. *''Dumbbells'' (2014) *''Dweller'' (2002) Somebody gets hit in the knee so hard that he coughs up blood. *''Eyes of Crystal'' (2004) In the opening scene, a cop shoots an apprehended rapist in the knee. *''Face/Off'' (1997) Archer shoots a cop in the knee. *''The Firm'' (1993) Gary Busey's character shoots a hitman in the knee. *''Friday Night Lights'' (2004) Boobie takes a hard hit during a game, breaking his left knee with an audible crunch. *''Funny Games'' (1997, 2007) Paul strikes somebody in the knee with a golf club. *''The General'' (1998) Martin shoots Gary in the knee. *''A Good Day to Die Hard'' (2013) The guy from those old Mac commercials gets shot in the knee. *''Header'' (2006) A woman gets both kneecaps shot off. *''The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'' (2013) Kili the dwarf takes a poisoned arrow in the knee. *''The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009) Heiter severs the knee ligaments of his victims. *''The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) (2011) Same deal. *''Inception'' (2010) Mal shoots Arthur in the knee. *''The Island (2005) *''Joint Security Area (2000) Sergeant Lee is shot in the knee by North Korean guards. *''The Karate Kid'' (1984) During competition, Bobby delivers a disabling jump kick to Daniel's knee and is immediately disqualified. *''The Killer Elite'' (1975) Gerry Hansen shoots Mike Locken in the knee. *''Kindergarten Cop'' (1990) Cullen Crisp shoots Detective John Kimble in the knee. *''Labyrinth'' (1986) Sir Didymus strikes Ludo in the knee with his staff. *''Live Free or Die Hard'' (2007) Some guy gets shot in the knee. *''Machete'' (2010) Padre is shot in the knee. *''Mad Max'' (1979) Max is shot in the left knee. *''Meet the Feebles'' (1989) *''Miami Vice'' (2006) Zito is shot in the knee. *''Nobody Will Speak of Us When We're Dead (1995) Under torture, the protagonist's knee is reportedly "corkscrewed." *''Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003) Both of General Marquez's knees are blown off with a shotgun. *''One Hit from Home'' (2012) *''The Orphanage'' (2007) Laura runs and falls, breaking her leg and suffering a bloody knee. *''Out for Justice'' (1991) NYPD detective Gino Felino shoots a guy in the knee. *''Overcome'' (2008) *''Payback'' (1999) Porter (Mel Gibson) shoots a guy in the shoulder and the knee, then stands on the guy's shoulder. *''The Raid: Redemption'' (2011) Rama stabs a guy in the knee and twists the knife. *''Ricochet'' (1991) Denzel Washington's character shoots a gang leader (John Lithgow) in the knee. *''RoboCop'' (1987) Officer Murphy is shot in the knee, among other places. *''Savages'' (2012) *''Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country'' (1991) Kirk kicks an alien in the knee. *''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991) An entire squad of SWAT team members is shot in the knee. *''The Thin Red Line'' (1998) An American GI is shot in the knee. *''To Kill a Mockingbird'' (1962) Scout kicks a guy in the knee. *''Turn Around'' (2007) *''Undead or Alive: A Zombedy'' (2007) A zombie is shot in both knees. *''Under Siege 2: Dark Territory'' (1995) Kelly is shot in the knee. *''Undisputed III: Redemption'' (2010) *''Varsity Blues'' (1999) Lance takes a hard hit during a game, breaking his knee. *''Welcome to the Punch'' (2013) In the opening scene, Jacob Sternwood shoots Detective Max Lewinsky in the knee. *''White House Down'' (2013) *"Knee Injury" Movies (IMDb) *"Knee Wound" Movies (IMDb) Other Victims of Notable Knee Injuries *'Bobby Brown', who was shot in the knee while attending a block party at age ten. *'Shun Fujimoto', gymnast from Japan who scored a 9.7 on the rings at the 1976 Montréal Summer Olympics despite a broken knee. *'Nancy Kerrigan', Olympic hopeful figure skater, is ambushed in Detroit by a masked man and clubbed in the right knee with a police baton in January 1994. *'Evel Knievel', legendary daredevil who during his career broke just about every bone in his body. And then he broke his knee in a February 2004 hot tub accident. *'Ken Reeves' (fictional character), basketball coach on The White Shadow (1978-81) *'Britney Spears', who blew out her left knee during a June 2004 video shoot (for the song "Outrageous") which required surgery and forced her to cancel a summer tour. Spears later sued her insurance carriers after they balked at her $9.8 million claim.